Phosphate removal from wastewater using aluminium oxide as adsorbent

The development and manufacture of an adsorbent to remove phosphate for the prevention of eutrophication in lakes is very important. The use of aluminium oxide (alumina) as an organic adsorbent to remove phosphate from wastewater has been investigated. The characteristics of this absorption process were investigated to determine the important parameters, such as the pH and the aluminium ion concentration. Moreover, chemical treatment methods to enhance the adsorption capacity of alumina were tested. Dynamic studies and equilibrium adsorption isotherm studies were conducted to determine the adsorption capacity and efficiency. The experimental results indicate that it is necessary to increase the temperature above 500°C in order to obtain a high-capacity adsorbent, and alumina treated with acid or calcium or magnesium has a larger adsorption capacity for phosphate than untreated adsorbent. Moreover, the adsorption of phosphate was enhanced at a lower pH and a higher aluminium ion concentration, and a simple Freundlich isotherm could express the equilibrium adsorption isotherm, and the intragranular diffusion controlling model was used to test the dynamic studies. These findings have important implications for the application and development of aluminium oxide as a prospective adsorbent.     

天然沸石吸附氨氮的影响因素

对比研究了沸石对生活污水和人工配制氯化铵溶液中氨氮的吸附特性,考察了沸石投加量、反应时间、悬浮物、阳离子和阴离子对沸石吸附氨氮的影响。结果表明,沸石对生活污水中氨氮的吸附能力明显低于人工配制氯化铵溶液,氨氮去除率随着沸石投加量的增加而增加,但单位质量沸石的氨氮吸附量却随之减小,吸附过程呈现快速吸附,缓慢平衡的特点。生活污水中悬浮物的存在,会削减沸石对氨氮的吸附能力。不同类型的阳离子和阴离子的加入都能导致人工配制氯化铵溶液中氨氮在沸石上的吸附量存在差异。阳离子的影响趋势主要为价态的影响,即价态越高,对氨氮吸附阻碍作用越显著,当阳离子当量浓度〉2meq／L时,影响吸附强弱的顺序为Ca2＋〉Mg2＋ 〉Na＋;阴离子影响沸石吸附强弱的顺序受初始氨氮的浓度影响较大。Langmuir等温方程式较Freundich、DubininRadushkevich、KobleCorrigan和Temkin等温方程式更好地描述沸石吸附氨氮的行为。     

Use of lees materials as an adsorbent for removal of organochlorine compounds or benzene from wastewater

Lees materials such as wheat bran, rapeseed, linseed, okara (lees of bean curd), and sakekasu (sake lees) were found to effectively adsorb organochlorine compounds. The amounts of these compounds such as chloroform, dichloromethane, and benzene adsorbed were plotted against the equilibrium concentration of substances in solution on a logarithmic scale. A linear relationship was obtained, indicating that the adsorption reactions were of the Freundlich type. When the lees materials were applied to wastewater (pH: 10) containing 0.1 g/l of dichloromethane, dichloromethane was removed from the wastewater in the range of 70-90% efficiency after 90 min. There was a high correlation between the removal efficiency and the number of spherosomes, which are intracellular particles attributed to the uptake of organochlorine compounds.     

Mustard plant ash: a source of micronutrient and an adsorbent for removal of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

The work highlights the utilization of an agricultural waste mustard plant ash (MPA) as a soil additive and an adsorbent. MPA was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), proximate analysis, CHNS analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, zeta potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRF analysis confirmed the presence of CaO (31.35 %), K₂O (18.55 %), and P₂O₅ (6.99 %), all of which act as micronutrients to plants. EDX also confirms high amount of elemental O, Ca, K, and P. The adsorptive ability of MPA was investigated using a commonly used herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), as a representative chemical. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to study the effect of different operational parameters such as adsorbent dose, initial 2,4-D concentration, contact time, and temperature on the adsorption process. Data from experiments were fitted to various kinetic and isothermal models. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to show the best fit (R ²?>?0.99), with the highest k ₂ value of the order 10⁵. Based on the study results, dosage of MPA/hectare for different crops has been recommended for effective removal of 2,4-D. To our knowledge, this is the first study in which MPA has been characterized in detail and investigated for dual applications (as an adsorbent and as a soil additive).     

Nutrients removal and recovery by crystallization of magnesium ammonium phosphate from synthetic swine wastewater

With synthetic swine wastewater, lab-scale batch experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of pH value, magnesium dosage, calcium and carbonate concentrations on magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) crystallization. The morphology of the precipitates obtained was observed by using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and the composition of the precipitates was analyzed with X-ray diffraction. The results show that the optimum pH value for MAP crystallization is in the range of 9.5-10.5; the phosphorus removal efficiency increases with the increase of Mg/P molar ratio; the optimum Mg/P molar ratio is 1.4, and excessive Mg dosage does not show significant effect on the efficiency improvement of MAP crystallization; the co-existing of Ca in solution disturbs the morphology and purity of the MAP product, and amorphous calcium phosphate will form when Ca increases to a certain concentration; CO3(2-) can affect the P removal efficiency, but does not obviously affect the morphology and purity of MAP.     

Fluoride removal performance of a novel Fe-Al-Ce trimetal oxide adsorbent

A trimetal oxide was developed as a fluoride adsorbent by coprecipitation of Fe(II), Al(III) and Ce(IV) salt solutions with a molar ratio of 1:4:1 under alkaline condition. The material retained amorphous structure and maintained relatively stable fluoride adsorption performance at calcination temperatures lower than 600 degrees C. The optimum pH range for fluoride adsorption was 6.0-6.5 and the adsorbent also showed high defluoridation ability around pH 5.5-7.0, which is preferable for actual application. A high fluoride adsorption capacity of 178 mg g(-1) was acquired under an equilibrium fluoride concentration of 84.5 mg l(-1), adsorbent dose of 150 mg l(-1) and pH 7.0. The adsorption isotherm could be better described by the two-site Langmuir model than the one-site model, suggesting the existence of two types of active sites on the adsorbent surface. Coexistence of high concentrations of phosphate or arsenate only led to partial inhibition of fluoride adsorption, which further suggests the existence of heterogeneous adsorption sites. Sulfate and chloride did not affect fluoride adsorption, and nitrate influenced it only when the concentration of NO(3)(-)-N exceeded 50 mg l(-1). A high desorption efficiency of 97% was achieved by treating fluoride loaded Fe-Al-Ce oxide with NaOH solution at pH 12.2. A column experiment using the adsorbent fabricated into 1mm pellets was performed at an initial fluoride concentration of 5.5 mg l(-1), space velocity of 5h(-1) and pH of 5.8, and 2240 bed volumes were treated with the effluent fluoride under 1.0 mg l(-1).     

Modelling of the acid-base properties of natural and synthetic adsorbent materials used for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions

In this paper a comparison about kinetic behaviour, acid-base properties and copper removal capacities was carried out between two different adsorbent materials used for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions: an aminodiacetic chelating resin as commercial product (Lewatit TP207) and a lyophilised bacterial biomass of Sphaerotilus natans. The acid-base properties of a S. natans cell suspension were well described by simplified mechanistic models without electrostatic corrections considering two kinds of weakly acidic active sites. In particular the introduction of two-peak distribution function for the proton affinity constants allows a better representation of the experimental data reproducing the site heterogeneity. A priori knowledge about resin functional groups (aminodiacetic groups) is the base for preliminary simulations of titration curve assuming a Donnan gel structure for the resin phase considered as a concentrated aqueous solution of aminodiacetic acid (ADA). Departures from experimental and simulated data can be interpreted by considering the heterogeneity of the functional groups and the effect of ionic concentration in the resin phase. Two-site continuous model describes adequately the experimental data. Moreover the values of apparent protonation constants (as adjustable parameters found by non-linear regression) are very near to the apparent constants evaluated by a Donnan model assuming the intrinsic constants in resin phase equal to the equilibrium constants in aqueous solution of ADA and considering the amphoteric nature of active sites for the evaluation of counter-ion concentration in the resin phase. Copper removal outlined the strong affinity of the active groups of the resin for this ion in solution compared to the S. natans biomass according to the complexation constants between aminodiacetic and mono-carboxylic groups and copper ions.     

Heavy metal removal from synthetic wastewaters in an anaerobic bioreactor using stillage from ethanol distilleries as a carbon source

This work was conducted to investigate the possibility of using stillage from ethanol distilleries as substrate for sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) growth and to evaluate the removal efficiency of heavy metals present in wastewaters containing sulfates. The experiments were carried out in a continuous bench-scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor (13 l) operated with a hydraulic retention time of 18 h. The bioreactor was inoculated with 7 l of anaerobic sludge. Afterwards, an enrichment procedure to increase SRB numbers was started. After this, cadmium and zinc were added to the synthetic wastewater, and their removal as metal sulfide was evaluated. The synthetic wastewater used represented the drainage from a dam of a metallurgical industry to which a carbon source (stillage) was added. The results showed that high percentages of removal (>99%) of Cd and Zn were attained in the bioreactor, and that the removal as sulfide precipitates was not the only form of metal removal occurring in the bioreactor environment.     

Heavy metal removal from synthetic wastewaters in an anaerobic bioreactor using stillage from ethanol distilleries as a carbon source

This work was conducted to investigate the possibility of using stillage from ethanol distilleries as substrate for sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) growth and to evaluate the removal efficiency of heavy metals present in wastewaters containing sulfates. The experiments were carried out in a continuous bench-scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor (13 l) operated with a hydraulic retention time of 18 h. The bioreactor was inoculated with 7 l of anaerobic sludge. Afterwards, an enrichment procedure to increase SRB numbers was started. After this, cadmium and zinc were added to the synthetic wastewater, and their removal as metal sulfide was evaluated. The synthetic wastewater used represented the drainage from a dam of a metallurgical industry to which a carbon source (stillage) was added. The results showed that high percentages of removal (>99%) of Cd and Zn were attained in the bioreactor, and that the removal as sulfide precipitates was not the only form of metal removal occurring in the bioreactor environment.     

海藻酸钠-聚氧化乙烯凝胶球去除废水中重金属离子的研究

研究了海藻酸钠浓度及固化时间对海藻酸钠-聚氧化乙烯(SA-PEO)凝胶球性能的影响以及采用SA-PEO凝胶球对溶液中3种重金属离子(Pb2 ,Cu2 、Cd2 )进行吸附实验的研究.结果表明,2.0%(质量分数)的SA溶液制成的凝胶球性能较好,固化时间对重金属去除率影响较小,但随着固化时间的增加,SA-PEO凝胶球的直径逐渐缩小,紧密程度和机械强度逐渐增加;在重金属离子溶液pH为4～6时,SA-PEO凝胶球对重金属离子去除率较高;SA-PEO凝胶球对不同重金属离子吸附效果为pb2 >Cu2 >Cd2 ;多种重金属离子共存使得SA-PEO凝胶球对Pb2 和Cd2 的吸附受一定程度的抑制,而对Cu2 吸附能力有所增强,说明SA-PEO凝胶球对重金属离子吸附有选择性;1.00 mol/L的HCl溶液对Pb2 的解吸效果较好,解吸再生后的SA-PEO凝胶球可以重复利用.     

The reuse of biosludge as an adsorbent from a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant

Biosludge was obtained from a petrochemical industry's biological wastewater treatment plant. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) was used as a sludge activation agent during the pyrolytic process. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image photographs, element composition, surface functional group, and pore structure were analyzed for the sludge adsorbent characteristics. Results indicated the proper ZnCl2-immersed concentration, pyrolytic temperature, and time could produce adsorbent from the biosludge. The optimal conditions for a larger surface area adsorbent were 3 M ZnCl2-immersed sludge pyrolyzed at 600 degrees C for 30 min and washed with 3 N hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution and distilled water. The predominant pore size of the sludge adsorbent was the mesopore.     

Oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes as adsorbent for the removal of manganese from aqueous solution

A batch adsorption process was applied to investigate the removal of manganese from aqueous solution by oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In doing so, the thermodynamic, adsorption isotherm, and kinetic studies were also carried out. MWCNT with 5–10-nm outer diameter, surface area of 40–600 m²/g, and purity above 95 % was used as an adsorbent. A systematic study of the adsorption process was performed by varying pH, ionic strength, and temperature. Manganese-adsorbed MWCNT was characterized by Raman, FTIR, X-ray diffraction, XPS, SEM, and TEM. The adsorption efficiency could reach 96.82 %, suggesting that MWCNT is an excellent adsorbent for manganese removal from water. The results indicate that second-order kinetics model was well suitable to model the kinetic adsorption of manganese. Equilibrium data were well described by the typical Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption reaction was spontaneous and endothermic process. The experimental results showed that MWCNT is an excellent manganese adsorbent. The MWCNTs removed the manganese present in the water and reduced it to a permissible level making it drinkable.     

Arsenic(V) removal with a Ce(IV)-doped iron oxide adsorbent

The removal of arsenic(V) by a new Ce-Fe adsorbent was evaluated under various conditions. Under an initial As(V) of 1.0 mg l(-1), the adsorption capacity of the Ce-Fe absorbent was constant around a value of 16 mgg(-1) over a wide pH range (3-7), while a maximum adsorption capacity of 8.3 mgg(-1) was obtained over a narrow pH range around 5.5 for activated alumina, a conventional adsorbent. Kinetics of adsorption obeys a pseudo-first-order rate equation with the rate constant K(ad) as 1.84 x 10(-3) min(-1). The pattern of adsorption of As(V) by the adsorbent fitted well both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. A Langmuir Q(0) of 70.4 mgg(-1) was obtained at an initial pH of 5.0 and temperature of 20 degrees C, significantly higher than those of other adsorbents reported. Phosphate seriously inhibited the removal of As(V) while fluoride did not compete with As(V) even at an F/As molar ratio as high as 30, suggesting that the adsorption sites for As(V) and fluoride were different. Salinity, hardness, and other inorganic anions such as Cl(-), NO(3)(-), and SO(4)(2-) had no apparent effect on As(V) adsorption. Fourier transform infrared spectra of Ce-Fe adsorbent before and after As(V) adsorption demonstrated that M-OH groups plays an important role for As(V) ions removal in the adsorption mechanisms of Ce-Fe adsorbent.     

Activated carbon from industrial solid waste as an adsorbent for the removal of Rhodamine-B from aqueous solution: kinetic and equilibrium studies

The activated carbon was prepared using industrial solid waste called sago waste and physico-chemical properties of carbon were carried out to explore adsorption process. The effectiveness of carbon prepared from sago waste in adsorbing Rhodamine-B from aqueous solution has been studied as a function of agitation time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH and desorption. Adsorption equilibrium studies were carried out in order to optimize the experimental conditions. The adsorption of Rhodamine-B onto carbon followed second order kinetic model. Adsorption data were modeled using both Langmuir and Freundlich classical adsorption isotherms. The adsorption capacity Q0 was 16.12 mg g(-1) at initial pH 5.7 for the particle size 125-250 microm. The equilibrium time was found to be 150 min for 10, 20 mg l(-1) and 210 min for 30, 40 mg l(-1) dye concentrations, respectively. A maximum removal of 91% was obtained at natural pH 5.7 for an adsorbent dose of 100mg/50 ml of 10 mg l(-1) dye concentration and 100% removal was obtained when the pH was increased to 7 for an adsorbent dose of 275 mg/50 ml of 20 mg l(-1) dye concentration. Desorption studies were carried out in water medium by varying the pH from 2 to 10. Desorption studies were performed with dilute HCl and show that ion exchange is predominant dye adsorption mechanism. This adsorbent was found to be both effective and economically viable.     

Trimethylphenylammonium-smectite as an effective adsorbent of water soluble aromatic hydrocarbons

Homoionic trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA)- and tetramethylammonium (TMA)-clays were prepared by ion-exchange reactions using two smectite clays that differed in their cation exchange capacities and surface charge densities. These clays are referred to as a low-charge (SAC) and high-charge (SWa)-smectite. The organo-clays were evaluated as adsorbents of water soluble aromatic hydrocarbons including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, butylbenzene, and naphthalene. All of the aromatic hydrocarbons tested were effectively removed from water by the low-charge TMPA-smectite. The low-charge TMA-smectite was an effective adsorbent for benzene but was ineffective in the removal of the alkylbenzenes and naphthalene from water. The effect of surface charge on the adsorption properties of TMPA-smectite was pronounced. The uptake of benzene and toluene by the high-charge TMPA-smectite was greatly reduced as compared to the low-charge TMPA-smectite. These results suggest the utility of TMPA-smectite as a liner material for petroleum storage containers and waste disposal reservoirs. The use of TMPA-smectite in conjunction with Na-smectite would provide a barrier with the ability to impede the flow of water and to effectively adsorb dissolved organic contaminants.     

赤泥晶种法磷酸铵镁结晶工艺模拟废水磷的回收

以赤泥为晶种,研究不同工艺条件对磷酸铵镁(MAP)结晶法回收模拟废水中磷的影响。结果表明,在投加赤泥(60～80目)8 g/L,搅拌速度为180 r/min,搅拌时间30 min,沉淀时间30 min,N∶Mg∶P=1∶1∶1的条件下磷酸根离子的回收率随初始磷酸盐浓度的增加而增大,在初始磷酸盐浓度小于90 mg/L时增幅较大,初始磷酸盐浓度大于90 mg/L后增幅减小;pH值对磷酸根离子的回收率影响显著,结合铵根离子、镁离子的回收率变化,pH值为9.5时最优;磷酸根离子的回收率随着Mg∶P摩尔比和N∶P摩尔比增大而呈上升趋势,当Mg∶P摩尔比为1.4∶1、N∶P摩尔比为4∶1时,磷酸盐的回收率可达97.9%。运用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线能谱仪(EDS)和X射线衍射仪(XRD)对最优工艺条件下的结晶产物进行了表征,表明磷主要以磷酸铵镁形态回收。     

QA-MCM-41吸附剂脱氮除磷性能

低浓度氮和磷在污水处理中较难去除,排放至水体会造成水体富营养化。以长碳链季铵为功能基团,将其接枝到自制备的介孔材料MCM-41上,成功制得一种吸附容量大且易再生的脱氮除磷吸附剂（QA-MCM-41）。采用SEM、XRD、BET等方法表征了QA-MCM-41微观形貌;研究了氮磷初始浓度、吸附时间及共存离子对QA-MCM-41吸附氮磷效果的影响;采用等温吸附模型、吸附动力学模型、ATR-IR以及XPS等分析手段探究了吸附反应机理。实验结果表明,QA-MCM-41对氮磷的饱和吸附量分别为20.83 mg·g-1和17.67 mg·g-1,SO42-对QA-MCM-41吸附氮磷的效果并未产生显著影响,吸附剂容易再生且重复利用性能较好。吸附动力学模拟及ATR-IR、XPS分析表明,QA-MCM-41对氮磷的吸附均符合以化学吸附为主导的准二级动力学方程,吸附作用主要依靠离子交换。     

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal and recovery

Activated sludge systems designed for enhanced nutrient removal are based on the principle of altering anaerobic and aerobic conditions for growth of microorganisms with a high capacity of phosphorus accumulation. Most often, filamentous bacteria constitute a component of the activated sludge microflora. The filamentous microorganisms are responsible for foam formation and activated sludge bulking. The results obtained confirm unanimously that the filamentous bacteria have the ability of phosphorus uptake and accumulation as polyphosphates. Hydrodynamic disintegration of the foam microorganisms results in the transfer of phosphorus and metal cations and ammonium-nitrogen into the liquid phase. It was demonstrated that the disintegration of foam permits the removal of a portion of the nutrients in the form of struvite.     

Long-term evaluation of activated carbon as an adsorbent for biogas desulfurization

ABSTRACT

In this study, granular activated carbon (GAC) was used as an adsorbent for biogas desulfurization. Biogas containing 932–2,350 ppm of H₂S was collected from an anaerobic digester to treat the wastewater from a dairy farm with about 200 cows. An adsorption test was performed by introducing the biogas to a column that was packed with approximately 50 L of commercial GAC. The operation ceased if the effluent gas had an H₂S concentration of over 100 ppm. The GAC was replaced by a given weight of new GAC in a subsequent test. According to the results, for H₂S concentrations in the range of 932–1,560 ppm (average±SD = 1,260 ± 256 ppm), 1 kg of the GAC yielded biogas treatment capacities of 568 ± 112 m³ and H₂S adsorption capacities of 979 ± 235 g. For the higher influent H₂S concentrations of 2,110 ± 219 ppm, the biogas treatment and H₂S-adsorption capacities decreased to 229 ± 18 m³ and 668 ± 47 g, respectively. An estimation indicated a requisite cost of US$16.5 for the purification of 1,000 m³ of biogas containing 2,110 ppm of H₂S. This cost is approximately 5% of US$330, the value of 1,000 m³ of biogas.